Street Fighter x Tekken, which we took a quick look at a few days ago, has released early and is available now as a Universal app for just $2.99. If you like button mashing fighting games, you're in for a treat.

When Street Fighter x Tekken was quietly announced at E3 this year, many were relieved. It had been rumored for a while, but it was there, in the flesh (or silicon) and it was real. Demos started at PAX earlier this month. And we just got our hands on a build. Take a look at the video below to see what to expect.

Full details are still to come. But from the build we can get a sense of what characters we will be able to play, though others are likely to unlock as you progress in the game. In our early look it seems like the controls are pretty well done. As expected as the controls for Street Fighter IV also from Capcom were exceptional for a touch screen button masher like this.

Global multiplayer system will be included in the game. We were unable to test that in our version, though. It could add considerable interest to the game if it works well.

Look for Street Fighter x Tekken later this year, perhaps sooner, perhaps later. If we had to guess, from this build we would say sooner. But Capcom are being particularly cagey about this game. We hope to know more soon.

The BackstoryIt’s tough to really pin down the goings-on in fighting games. Story isn’t a particularly big focus most of the time and can lead to all kinds of weird stuff. An evil dictator bent on world domination creating a female clone of himself is just one example. Suffice it to say, so long as there’s a reason for wacky folks to fight the hows and whys don’t matter so much. As is the case with Street Fighter. Ignoring the nitty gritty the important thing to understand here is that Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, and the rest have gathered once again to beat the snot out of each other for their own personal reasons. And our amusement, of course.

The GameplayStreet Fighter IV Volt (and by extension the original iOS release) had one major hurdle to overcome: controls. Virtual sticks and buttons just don’t compare to physical ones no matter how much someone might love their touch screen. Thankfully Capcom pulled them off quite well. While the overall action is a tad slower than most console offerings the fights are still frantic and movement is pretty tight. Whether it’s learning the ropes in Training, tackling the campaign, or taking on other players from across the globe in online matches there’s something for every kind of fighting aficionado. Having a roster of 22 playable characters is nice, too.

How does it Compare?With practically an equivalent amount of content to its console counterpart and controls that aren’t a hindrance, Street Fighter IV Volt is as good as it gets on iOS. Aside from the concessions for controls and visuals (characters are no longer 3D, which affects the presentation and story segments) it’s pretty much the same game. It’s even got online multiplayer, which is something not even earlier Street Fighter console releases have sported until recently.

It’s not exactly 1:1, but Street Fighter IV Volt does a downright admirable job of giving iOS users a comparable experience to their console bretheren. It’s got the roster, the moves, the modes, and the multiplayer. What more could a fighting game lover on-the-go wish for?

*NOTE: “Console-quality” refers to the quality of the experience, not just the graphics. This is about the depth of gameplay, content, and in some cases how accurately it portrays the ideals of its console counterpart.*

By way of a price drop to $0.99, Capcom has taken over the much coveted number one overall app spot. Last I heard, this could mean $60,000 in sales per day or more. Angry Birds has fallen to number 2 currently. The first time in a while it's been out of the top spot.

How long can Street Fighter IV hold on to the number one spot? What do you think, will Angry Birds attack and get it back? Will Tetris slide its way past both to number 1? We'll keep an eye on it.

Owners of the iOS edition of Street Fighter IV are in for a treat, as an upcoming update of the game will add Sagat to the ever-growing list of fighters on the roster. This comes after Capcom already added Zangief, Cammy, E. Honda and C. Viper, so the app version of the title is slowly adding nearly all the characters from the console editions of the game. At any rate, fear the Tiger Uppercut!

Also being included in the update is a new take on local matchmaking. Now, anytime two players who are running the game and have Bluetooth enabled get within broadcast proximity of one another the games will auto-connect in the name of some crazy multiplayer fighting. This automatic connection will make it easier for competitors to quickly jump into a match and get right down to the important stuff: beating the ever-loving snot out of one another until an iPhone is hurled in frustration.

We continue to be impressed by just how substantially Capcom has supported the iOS version of Street Figher IV in the months since its release. The parade of new characters has kept our interest level in the game quite high, and the constant addition of extra content and tweaking of modes makes the game hard to put down even after you think you've done it all. The strategy employed by Capcom shows us that they're really taking mobile gaming seriously, and could easily emerge as one of the top studios in the mobile games space. We're already extremely excited to see what they have in mind for other major franchises on iOS, because if past performance is any indication we're in for a real treat. In the meantime, begin familiarizing yourself with Sagat's moveset so that when the update launches you can pit him in a match against Ryu and get some sweet revenge for that scar across Sagat's chest.